Thomas' Absence The Qualifier

With Or Without Him, Sox Still Need To Play

June 18, 1997|By Scott MacGregor, Tribune Staff Writer.

To some White Sox fans, the intracity interleague matchup might be described best in the record books with Ford Frick's famous asterisk.

When Roger Maris mounted his assault on Babe Ruth's hallowed home run record in 1961, then-commissioner Frick declared the new record would carry a qualifier--known as "the asterisk"--because the season was longer than when Ruth achieved his record.

That's how some might view this Sox-Cubs series. Sure, the Cubs took Game 1 in convincing fashion, but Sox slugger Frank Thomas wasn't playing. And Game 2 went to the Sox despite missing Thomas.

"It's comparable to playing the Bulls without Michael Jordan," said Sox fan Mitchell Zamost. "Frank is one of the premier players in the game."

Thomas, on the disabled list with a strained stomach muscle, was leading the American League with a .391 batting average and had 16 home runs and 55 RBIs before the injury on June 6. What difference would he make in a Sox lineup that, mostly, has struggled to score in his absence?

Thomas' .391 average translates to more than 1 1/2 hits a game, based on a probable four at-bats. The Sox could have used them Monday, but Thomas alone probably wouldn't have been enough to overcome the six runs Jaime Navarro surrendered in the first three innings. Thomas would have batted with men on base three times if he hit in his usual No. 3 spot instead of Dave Martinez, who went 1-for-3.

Tuesday, Thomas would have batted with runners on the bases twice--but one of those times, in the first inning, Martinez smacked a homer to right field to give the Sox a 2-0 lead.

Even so, for opportunities to drive in runs, Thomas still would need the players at the top of the order to get on base.

Maybe Terry Bevington is right. The Sox manager won't be baited into a "what if" discussion and has refused to make excuses for his team's mostly lackluster offensive performance with Thomas out of the lineup, saying other players need to do their jobs too.

"You can ask what difference it makes now but it's still the same," Bevington said before Tuesday's second game of the three-game set. "We'll find a way to get by with what we have."

But Sox catcher Jorge Fabregas isn't ignoring the obvious.

"Sure, it makes a difference, but not just in this series," he said. "It's in all those series. There's no doubt we're definitely a better team with him in the lineup."

Still, Bevington plows ahead.

"That happens to every team at some point," he said. "I haven't considered us short at all (with Thomas, Norberto Martin and Robin Ventura out)."

Bevington and other Sox have insisted the team can score without Thomas and Sunday's 14-run outburst in Cincinnati is the proof. But Fabregas and Guillen each had four hits that day--not exactly an everyday occurrence--and Harold Baines and Durham each homered. Tuesday's 5-3 victory over the Cubs was more evidence.

Fabregas wishes he knew how to duplicate Sunday's game (he was 4-for-4 with a home run and career-high five RBIs) every day.

"It's just one of those career days," he said. "If I'm patient, I'm capable of getting a hit a game, maybe two hits."

Thomas, on the other hand, is good for two hits just about every day--at least by the numbers.